Storm chances over Tucson this weekend hard to predict

For many long-time Tucson residents, it’s easy to imagine what those thunderous and sometimes deadly monsoon storms can be like. However, a recent abundance of moisture and humidity seen throughout the area will make monsoon weather a bit harder to predict this season, the wether service says.

“Each day is a different story,” said Alex Edwards, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service in Tucson. “It’s a fairly humid time of year. We’re seeing moisture more like we would get in August, for example.”

Because of this, each day is provided its own unique chance to predicting rain or shine, he said.

Saturday’s lingering cloud cover was expected to help keep temperatures in the area cooler and diminish the potential for strong storms, Edwards said.

However, chances remained good by midday Saturday that a few showers in the area had the potential to turn into monsoon weather later in the evening, he said early in the day.

Each afternoon and evening over the next several days the Tucson area presents the possibility of daily thunderstorms, Edwards said.

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On Friday afternoon, a severe thunderstorm lashed Tucson’s airport with a wind gust of 73 mph, the weather service reported. The peak gust at 2:42 p.m. was the highest at Tucson International Airport, where the city’s official weather statistics are recorded, in a June since 1960, the weather service said.

Friday also marked the metro area’s first rain event of the 2024 monsoon season. Tucson recorded .35 inches of rain Friday at the airport after just a trace on Thursday.

Edwards said residents should expect to see highs around 100 degrees for next few days, cooler than recent days that were especially hot. Temps have the potential next week to rise to 105 by Wednesday.

Edwards warned residents to keep track of how they are feeling as these high temperatures combine with high humidity spells.

“Humidity still affects us,” he said. “It reduces how our body regulates temperature. The thermometer may say something lower on the thermometer, but you need to practice the same precautions as you would if it said it was warmer outside.”

The weather service received a report of some damaged trees Friday around East Sixth Street area near the University of Arizona.

Pima County has sandbag stations open across the metro area, and the city has one located in a parking lot near Hi Corbett Field.